Sunday, March 19, 2006

Work on Pacific Aviation Museum to start

Work on the first phase of the Pacific Aviation Museum on Ford Island at Pearl Harbor is scheduled to begin next week with the groundbreaking and blessing on Tuesday.

The proposed $75-million museum is to be built on 16 acres on the Navy-controlled island, which was at the center of the attack by the Japanese in 1941.

The first phase will involve the construction of the museum in Hangar 37 at a cost of $11 million. The museum is scheduled to open in December.

About $13 million has been raised so far, a combination of individual and corporate donations and money from the federal and state governments.

The project is envisioned as a complement to existing historical attractions at Pearl Harbor, including the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri.

The aviation museum will ultimately include displays of aircraft in several restored hangars, the renovation of the distinctive 1930s-era control tower and the preservation of the battle scars that remain on the runways and buildings six decades after the attack.